Under the current system of coffee trade, very little of what consumers pay for coffee, often less than 10%, reaches the farmer who grows the beans.
Of the 25 million coffee producers, approximately 15 million are small farmers. Unable to export directly they must sell their crops to mid-level traders, or as they are commonly called in Central America, coyotes.’ These traders often use their monopoly position to force the farmer to sell low. As lenders, these coyotes demand extremely high interest payments. This type of exploitation results in a spiralling debt cycle that leaves farmers and families further impoverished.

However, there is an alternative. Fairly traded coffee is bought directly from farming cooperatives, which eliminates the role of the midlevel trader and allows farmers to earn a fair living.